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JOHN CALVIN : LIFE, LEGACY AND THEOLOGY -<br />
PROF. M. M. NINAN<br />
pleased, according to the unsearchable counsel of his own will, whereby he extendeth or withholdeth<br />
mercy as he pleaseth, for the glory of his sovereign power over his creatures, to pass by, <strong>and</strong> to<br />
ordain them to dishonor <strong>and</strong> wrath for their sin, to the praise of his glorious justice.”<br />
Westminster Confession:<br />
“Predestination we call the decree of God, by which He has determined in Himself, what He would<br />
have to become of every individual of mankind. For they are not all created with a similar destiny: but<br />
eternal life is foreordained for some, <strong>and</strong> eternal damnation for others” (<strong>Calvin</strong>: Institutes of the<br />
Christian Religion, Book III, chap. 21).<br />
“[God] devotes to destruction whom he pleases … they are predestinated to eternal death without any<br />
demerit of their own, merely by his sovereign will. … he orders all things by his counsel <strong>and</strong> decree in<br />
such a manner, that some men are born devoted from the womb to certain death, that his name be<br />
glorified in their destruction. ... God chooses whom he will as his children … while he rejects <strong>and</strong><br />
reprobates others” (<strong>Calvin</strong>: Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book III, chap. 23).<br />
"CONDITIONAL election" would mean that God chooses to be His those who first love <strong>and</strong> choose<br />
Him. But the Bible says: "You have not chosen me, I have chosen you" <strong>John</strong> 15:16. (Please also look<br />
at Romans 9:11-21.) Acts 13:48 says that "as many as were ordained to eternal life believed." Only,<br />
when we speak this language is the horse placed before the cart. CONDITIONAL election puts the<br />
cart before the horse, because it says that man believes <strong>and</strong> THEN is ordained to eternal life. Read<br />
carefully <strong>John</strong> 10:26 for another plain "horse before the cart" passage. Can one imagine what the<br />
denial of this doctrine would mean? If we remember that before we are saved, we can do nothing<br />
good (<strong>John</strong> 15:5; Ephesians 2:1-6), the only conclusion is that we could never choose God. And never<br />
would. And never would be saved.<br />
https://redeeminggod.com/acts-13_48-unconditional-election/<br />
Does Acts 13:48 teach Unconditional Election? By Jeremy Myers<br />
It would have been perfectly just for God to have left all men in their sin <strong>and</strong> misery <strong>and</strong> to have shown<br />
mercy to none. God was under no obligation whatsoever to provide salvation for anyone. It is in this<br />
context that the Bible sets forth the doctrine of election.<br />
Romans 20:15 And anyone not found written in the Book of <strong>Life</strong> was cast into the lake of fire.<br />
Apparently according to <strong>Calvin</strong>, the Book of <strong>Life</strong> was written before the creation of the world.<br />
The only problem here is nobody knows who these are until you reach heaven. How do we know<br />
whether you are one of the elect?<br />
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